[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 475

At this point, there was no choice but to recognize it.

The me from around the age of five and the me now had slightly different impressions.

On top of that, the power I possessed was, by nature, extremely difficult to sense, so to others I was nothing more than a neat-looking, ordinary child.

For such a little kid to be showing this kind of attitude in front of such formidable figures—it was bound to be both amusing and absurd.

The ones who had been staring at me blankly soon turned their gazes toward Duke Berli, who belonged to the same faction as me.

“Duke Berli. Just what is going on here?”

“Hoho. It’s nothing of major concern.”

Perhaps finding the situation amusing as well, he didn’t bother adding any detailed explanation.

Though the others were confused, they soon composed themselves.

In any case, this was a discussion to be carried out by everyone present, so there was neither the time nor the reason to be held up by just me.

“Ahem. Let us begin. In order to carry out perfect security duties during the international conference period. And… to prevent unnecessary clashes.”

It wasn’t only kings who engaged in battles of will at international conferences.

In fact, one of the reasons many high-ranking nobles accompanied their kings as guards was precisely because of that.

However, if the king went as far as holding a UFC match and the guards joined in as well, the situation would spiral out of control.

That was why, among the guards, there existed something closer to WWE-style brawling.

And in such cases, prior agreements were made in advance.

“Then we shall withdraw here.”

“That would be reasonable. In that case, the next matter…”

Among nations that required coordination, they set aside personal feelings and negotiated give-and-take based on their respective strengths.

The Bata Kingdom was one such case.

However, most matters were simple enough to be resolved at the level of Duke Berli.

In the end, what I could do here was…

Crunch, crunch…

Nothing but munch on popcorn.

Since it was my first time experiencing something like this, I couldn’t deny that it served as a form of learning.

In truth, I had only ever watched or directly engaged in real-time UFC before, so seeing this kind of prearranged, brawl-like diplomacy was quite refreshing.

Once most of the agreements had been finalized, preparations began for dealing with external threats.

This place was the Pascallia Imperial Palace.

As such, an external intrusion was, in truth, so unlikely it could be called absurd.

However, from the perspective of those responsible for security, neglecting the protection of the most critical factor—the individuals themselves—was out of the question.

Most guards stood behind their kings.

However, in the event of a problem, aside from evacuating the primary target, one person had to break off to stop the intruder.

There was some opposition to this process.

“This area is left open. Who was assigned to it?”

“That area is…”

Since the personnel were tightly organized, there weren’t that many people.

A man who glanced briefly at me shifted his gaze to look for someone else.

The problem was that most already had their own assigned zones.

“Let’s leave that part to you.”

At that moment, Sword Saint Osberg placed a hand on my shoulder with a thump! and spoke.

“S-Sword Saint sir. What do you mean by—”

“That’s not a small area. You’re assigning that to this brat?”

“To begin with, why is a kid like that even part of a pre-guard arrangement…”

I had had enough fun.

It was time to get to work properly.

“It won’t be difficult. Understood. If anything happens, I’ll block that area.”

In the first place, the probability of an incident occurring was extremely low.

Still, this was merely preparation, just in case.

Perhaps because it was the Sword Saint himself who had pointed me out, they looked at me as if they couldn’t understand.

“Lord Osberg. Forgive me, but I must say something.”

“What is it, Marquis Binaf?”

“What exactly is that brat, that you would entrust such an important position to him so casually? Spare us the ‘he’s a genius’ talk. We too were once called unparalleled geniuses.”

In other words, if this was about nepotism, they were telling him to cut it out immediately.

But Osberg didn’t care in the slightest.

Because it wasn’t nepotism to begin with.

“It seems the marquis is under some misunderstanding, so let me clarify.”

He let out a hearty laugh.

“This brat is stronger than this old man, so you can set aside such worries.”

That single statement carried immense weight.

Who was the Sword Saint?

A title respected across the entire continent.

Among them, he was a being said to have reached the very pinnacle of the sword.

Even by my standards, the only humans who could oppose him in raw combat were Isna or those of similar standing.

However, if one considered pure swordsmanship alone…

There was, to begin with, no one who could defeat him.

So it was only natural that they couldn’t understand.

How absurd was it to claim that a mere five-year-old child was stronger than the continent’s greatest swordsman?

“What are you—”

“It’s just a temporary appearance due to an artifact’s side effects. There’s no doubt that he is one of the military powers representing the Bata Kingdom.”

At those words, a man who had been serving as Emperor Credos’s guard widened his eyes.

“Wait. Gray hair? Don’t tell me!”

He sprang up from his seat.

“Could it be you, sir?!”

“Nice to meet you. You finally recognized me.”

“My word. How did you end up like that…?”

He muttered in disbelief before letting out a dry laugh.

“I see. In that case, I have no objections.”

“No. How does this even make sense?”

The others, still baffled, soon wore complicated expressions but said nothing further.

Since someone credible had vouched for me, they decided not to press the matter.

With that, the preliminary discussions concluded, and the dispersal proceeded swiftly.

Soon after, the first international conference was convened.

Starting with the Pascallia Emperor, the leaders of the continent’s most prominent kingdoms gathered in one place.

In truth, the likelihood of an incident occurring here was exceedingly low.

After all, if an attack were to take place here, it would be no different from declaring war on every nation present.

That was also part of the reason why the discussions about handling potential intrusions had been brushed over somewhat lightly during the preliminary meeting.

Unless it was a continent-wide insane assassination group like the Moon Watchers, no one would attempt something like that.

And the Moon Watchers had completely vanished one day, as if evaporating.

The same went for the cultists.

Looking at the situation as a whole, now that even the conflict with the archangel had ended, the only external force that could threaten this place was, at most, Nyarlathotep.

But he wasn’t the type to openly carry out something like this, so the chances of him appearing here were low.

Inside the vast hall, Duke Berli and I stood guarding the left and right behind the Bata Princess.

The conference hall had a single platform in the center, with large tiered tables extending in a U-shape on both sides.

The seat assigned to the Bata Princess was on the third tier.

In other words, the highest position.

Farell had accompanied us on the way here, but since he wasn’t an official guard and had only come to broaden his horizons, he wasn’t permitted to enter a place like this.

The problem started from here.

“…Hmm.”

I wasn’t particularly short, so I hadn’t thought much about it.

But the Bata Princess’s seat was higher than expected, and at my current height, I couldn’t see anything else at all.

Strictly speaking, it was a meaningless concern, but… it made me wonder if this was really right.

At that moment, the Bata Princess gestured toward me.

“Sir Leon.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Just a moment. Excuse me.”

With that, she lifted me up and sat me on her lap.

As a result, only my neck stuck out above the table.

When I made a bewildered expression at her action, she gave a cute wink.

“When you’re here, I feel at ease. That way, I can attend the meeting without any problems.”

“Your Highness. However, this appearance might look a bit… to other nations…”

“It’s fine. Bata Kingdom’s voice has grown stronger now.”

That was true.

Having conquered Coral and reclaimed all its former territories, Bata could no longer be called a small nation.

Though that wasn’t the important part here.

She acted as if it didn’t matter, but judging by the bewildered expressions around us, it definitely wasn’t good.

Moreover, their gazes were directed at me.

The first to react was the emperor of the Western Continent, Credos el Boscal.

He looked at me in surprise, then soon let out a suppressed chuckle.

—Do not laugh.

I sent him a telepathic message, but he paid no heed.

After that, the Pascallia Emperor, the master of this great hall, stared at me before asking the Sword Saint something.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Then, letting out a chuckle, he made a curious expression.

—Hmm… the more I see, the more I desire such talent. Seeing someone casually overturn common sense like this… it would have been wonderful if you had naturalized into the Empire.

I won’t be going there, Your Majesty.

I ignored the gazes of others.

Soon, the meeting began.

The content itself wasn’t particularly significant.

Basic diplomatic positions, information to be shared by each nation, proposals based on agreements, and so on.

If one excluded the minor details, there wasn’t anything especially noteworthy.

Suppressing a yawn from the boredom, I remained still, when the Bata Princess pulled me closer into her embrace and whispered softly.

“Are you bored, Sir?”

“My apologies, Your Highness.”

Though my strength had slightly decreased due to my smaller body, it wasn’t to a degree that caused any real problems, so I had ignored it.

However, the drowsiness characteristic of a child that came with becoming younger felt somewhat unfamiliar even to me.

“It’s fine. You’re adorable to watch. I’d like to have a child too. Soon.”

“You will have good news soon.”

Since she, who must lead Bata, was the next monarch, it was impossible for her to marry into another family.

Thus, what she needed was a consort.

It certainly felt different from before.

The leaders of other nations were bewildered by the Bata Princess’s eccentric behavior.

Though, compared to her antics, my existence itself was even more absurd.

Still, they couldn’t voice personal doubts here, so they simply looked frustrated.

It was then, as the meeting was reaching its height—

A representative from the Pinas Archipelago, who had remained absent until now for some reason, stood up.

All eyes turned toward him.

The Central Continent looked at him with hostility, and the Western Continent, having ceased cooperation with Pinas, showed a strange reaction.

The Pinas Archipelago.

The place where that damned family that had treated my younger sister Arsha like a slave once existed.

It belonged neither to the Western nor the Central Continent.

And in the past, they had attacked the Central Continent with support from the West.

Well, opinions varied regarding the nature of that war, but in terms of the result, the relationship between the Pinas Archipelago and the Central Continent was like South and North Korea from the memories of my previous life—always on the verge of war.

The man who stepped onto the central platform slowly raised his head.

And spoke.

“This time, the Pinas Archipelago has unified all its islands into a single theocratic state.”

At those words, murmurs spread.

The Pinas Archipelago was a federation of multiple families.

Though called families, they were nearly equivalent to nations in scale.

But more importantly—not a monarchy, but a theocracy?

That felt unsettling.

“A theocratic state, you say?”

A voice flew in, as if conducting a hearing.

It was the Holy Kingdom.

The one who had come wielding full authority in place of the Pope wore a complicated expression.

“That is correct.”

“If it is not too much trouble, could you tell us which god this nation serves?”

At that question, the Pinas representative did not answer immediately.

“I will tell you shortly. May I continue?”

“Proceed.”

The man from the Pinas Archipelago took a short breath and continued.

“According to the will of the god we serve, all systems of our Pinas Archipelago will operate according to the divine will. Therefore, we deem any trade that our god does not desire to be meaningless. As such, we will sever all diplomatic trade that has continued thus far.”

At that, the murmuring grew louder.

Most of those who traded properly with the Pinas Archipelago were from the Western Continent.

From their perspective, to suddenly be told, “We’re not trading with you anymore,” was bound to be shocking.

“What nonsense is this!”

“Such matters must follow agreed protocols—”

“All will and action shall follow the will of our god.”

Ignoring the commotion, the Pinas representative continued calmly.

“As of this moment, the Pinas Archipelago will, toward the Central and Western Continents, and all nations…”

Then, he dropped a bombshell.

“We make an offer. Those who surrender and devote themselves to our god shall be spared. Those who refuse will all be purged as heretics.”

Bang!!!

There was no need to hear more.

The leaders of each nation flew into a rage, slamming their tables and rising to their feet.

“A declaration of war?! Is the Pinas Archipelago declaring war on the continent right now?!”

“Do you even understand the weight of what you’re saying?!”

The conference hall, gathered for peace and mediation, erupted into chaos.

It was already absurd that Pinas, which had long been absent, had attended.

And now this…?

A declaration of war?

All of a sudden?

At this point?

Though their actions had always been extreme, they weren’t fools.

They had struggled even against the Central Continent before, and now they were saying they would attack the Western Continent as well.

As confusion grew and murmurs turned into noise—

The Pascallia Emperor, who had been silently observing, gestured.

At that, Sword Saint Osberg, standing to his left, struck the ground with the tip of his sheathed sword.

Thud!!!

A tremendous shockwave erupted, overwhelming the entire hall.

“Silence. As representatives of noble and dignified nations, maintain decorum and composure.”

At that single command, all fell silent.

“The statement from the Pinas Archipelago—there is no falsehood in it?”

“That is correct. According to the will of our god, the Pinas Archipelago will not withdraw its proposal to the Western and Central Continents. We demand that you serve our god as your state religion.”

At those words, the Pascallia Emperor let out a short sigh.

“Nothing ever goes easily. Very well, we must hear opinions. Is there any nation here that will accept the proposal of the Pinas Archipelago, adopt their god, and designate it as their state religion?”

No one raised their hand.

Even though the Holy Kingdom’s primary god possessed a clear and undeniable presence compared to other deities, there were still nations that did not designate it as their state religion.

And the Holy Kingdom itself did not force it.

Yet now, they were being told to accept some unheard-of cult god as a state religion?

In other words, it meant—

The talk of worship was just a pretense.

In reality, they were saying: we intend to wage war against all of you.

Though it was an international conference, this was not something that could be said lightly.

When no one responded, the Pinas representative spoke calmly.

“Foolish heretics.”

“Heretics?! Watch your words!”

“Our kingdom will never tolerate such offensive remarks from Pinas—”

“Then there is only war. A declaration.”

With those words—

Uuuung… KWA-A-A-AANG!!!

A tremendous roar began echoing from outside the conference hall.

“Receive divine punishment, unbelievers.”

With that, the Pinas representative pulled out a grotesque dagger from somewhere and, without hesitation, stabbed and split open his own heart, ripping it out.

The first to react was the Sword Saint.

Without the slightest hesitation, Sword Saint Osberg severed the arm holding the heart entirely.

As a result, the strange power flowing from the heart dissipated, but it didn’t feel like that was the end.

Indeed, despite having his own heart torn out, he did not die.

That thing.

We need to shut its mouth.

“All glory to—gghk…”

As he tried to shout the name of his god, I reached out and blew his head off.

“Sir Leon?!”

“There is nothing to gain from hearing that god’s name.”

It might be nothing more than a string of words, and perhaps nothing significant would happen just because that corpse uttered it—but there was no need to risk mental damage by invoking even the faint remnants of an outer god.

With that as the beginning, all the guards sprang into action, preparing for the attack that we had believed would never occur.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]